Homemade Christmas: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix

Homemade Christmas: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix

I’m a little late in getting this posted but I wanted to get it on the blog early enough so you might use it. Sorry I am late!

If you’re running out of ideas and you need an easy gift to throw together then you certainly still have time to get this one made before Christmas Eve on Saturday. It takes only about 15 minute to throw it together and then you can package it however you like.

Homemade Christmas Gifts Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix

This hot cocoa mix has been floating around the internet for many, many years and you will be able to find the same recipe with some slight variations all over the place if you do a google search.

This is the recipe I have used about 5 times in the past ten years. Like most of my recipes I have tweaked it to suit my tastes and needs.

The recipe as I’ve written it will make 16 cups of dry hot cocoa mix. One measured cup of the cocoa mix is enough to make 3 servings of hot cocoa.

Depending on how you package it you can easily make 16 gift bags holding one cup of cocoa mix each.

I packaged some of mine in a pretty Christmas bag, topped it off with some mini marshmallows and tucked it in a coffee mug I bought from the dollar store.

If you don’t need that many gifts or you don’t want to end up with 16 cups of hot cocoa mix you can easily half the recipe. What I do is make the large batch and the family enjoys the left overs after I have made the number of gifts I need.

This mix can last indefinitely as long as it is stored in an airtight container.

Semi Homemade: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix

Makes 16 cups of cocoa mix

10 cups of powdered milk or a 25.6 ounce box

3 cups of non-dairy coffee creamer or a 18 oz container

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

6 cups of Nestle Quick or a large 16 oz container

2 to 4 Giant Sticks Peppermint Candy or a box of 12 candy canes

mini marshmallows, optional

Sift all of the ingredients together in a very large bowl. I start out with the powdered milk because sometimes I sift it twice to get all the lumps out. You can just sift it once. It doesn’t make a difference in the taste.

After you have all the ingredients sifted stir with a large spoon to mix everything together. You don’t want streaks of white from the milk or the creamer.

Take the peppermint sticks and place them in a large ziplock bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the peppermint sticks into small pieces.

Divide the cocoa mix into two gallon size ziplock bags. 8 cups in each bag.

To one bag add the crushed peppermint sticks. Shake the bag so the crushed peppermint stick is mixed in with the cocoa mix.

Package as you like. I used small Christmas goodie bags and added one cup of cocoa mix and a handful of mini marshmallows on top. I tied a chocolate dipped spoon to the handle and hung a candy cane from the cup.

With the second bag of cocoa mix you could add marshmallows and shake up the bag so they are mixed in with the cocoa mix and have two different flavored cocoa mixes.

Or repeat with the other two peppermint sticks.

Or use a small Christmas container and layer marshmallows and cocoa mix.

Serving instructions: Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa mix to one cup of hot water or milk.